The Orchard Oriole 47 
The older authors christened him the ‘spurious,’ or inferior Baltimore bird, and 
from this has come his specific name spurius. Then, too, he is a rather rare 
bird in the northeastern United States, where most of our bird biographers have 
pursued their studies, and he has consequently figured but little in literature and 
is less known than his more brilliant relative. To those who have had the good 
fortune to know him well, however, he is none the less attractive; while, owing 
to his preference for the vicinity of man’s abode, he is usually associated in our 
mind with fond recollections. 
The old house with its cluster of farm buildings, the rows of gnarled and 
lichen-covered trunks of the apple trees, their branches laden with green fruit, 
the warm sunshine of early summer and the song of the Orchard Oriole—all 
are ever closely intermingled in my memory. 
Questions for Teachers and Students 
Describe the call-notes and song of the Orchard Oriole. How do they compare with 
those of the Baltimore Oriole? Where have you found the Orchard Oriole? On what 
have you seen it feeding? What in general is the nature of its food? Is it a beneficial 
species? Describe the Orchard Oriole’s nest and eggs. Have you ever found it nesting 
in the same tree with other birds? Describe the plumage of the adult male; of the adult 
female; of the young male. How is the change from one plumage to another accom- 
plished? At what age is the full chestnut and black plumage acquired? What is the 
range in summer of the Orchard Oriole? Where does it winter? When does it migrate? 
